Toner and ink manufacturers and re-manufacturers evaluate print quality before releasing a new, revised, or improved product into the market. Specifically, they look for print quality features, such as uniformity, background, text quality, density, toner scatter, toner compatibility, toner fusability, and the like. Printer cartridge re-manufacturers clean, repair damaged parts, replace worn parts, and add toner. Printer cartridge re-manufacturers also often evaluate print quality to select a part they want to use in remanufacturing. For instance, printer cartridge re-manufacturers run various print quality tests to find the toner type, which when added to a cartridge would allow the cartridge to closely resemble the performance of the cartridge from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
Conventional methods for evaluating print quality include using an adhesive tape or using a person's finger. Test and reference prints are printed, and then an adhesive tape is adhered to each of the prints. Alternatively, a person would wipe his finger on each of the prints. The amount of toner that adheres to the adhesive tape or finger for each of the prints is then compared. It can be realized that the above conventional methods do not provide a quantitative, objective, and repeatable test method. For instance, the duration and amount of pressure being applied to the prints either by the tape or the finger is not controlled and would vary each time the test is conducted. Methods and devices for effectively evaluating print quality are desired and are addressed by the present invention.